Cry
by lynnmichelle
Summary: Missing scene for Season 8 Affinity. It's the day of Sam and Pete's engagement party. How will Jack react? My second fic & I wrote it because everyone was so nice about my first fic. Please review so I can get it right. Chap 4 now up and it's COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

The Song Series – "Cry"

Spoilers Season 8 Affinity – Missing Scene

Disclaimer – It's not mine we all know that but this story is mine.

A/N – I have a theory that for every 'shippy' moment in Stargate history there is an appropriate song. Here is the first of what hopefully will be many in the series. Please note this is only my second fic and my first with Chapters so I hope it works well for you.

Jack looked at the card in his hand and let out a heavy sigh. After all these years he couldn't believe that he was reading the words in front of him.

"_**Please join us to celebrate the engagement of Pete and Sam.**_

_**Place – O'Malleys**_

_**Time – 8pm Saturday, September 18, 2004"**_

He looked incredulously at the words and shook his head for the umpteenth time that day. It was 4 O'clock and the party was only 4 hours away. He originally had no intention of going. He had told Carter that there was a possibility of a meeting with a new off-world ally and he was needed on base. Unfortunately his heart wasn't in the lie and he could tell by the flicker of hurt that showed in her eyes that she had seen the lie for what it was.

However, Sam didn't question it, although she couldn't explain why. Was it because he was her Commanding Officer and you never imply that your CO is a liar, or because she didn't want confirmation of what she already suspected – that he didn't care anymore. At the time she thought back to the weeks surrounding Pete's proposal. She had given Jack more than enough of a chance to talk her out of getting married to the cop from Denver . Even tried to make it easy for him by asking his advice on what she should do. The conversation in her lab didn't go as either of them expected it to, both worried that this conversation might push their relationship in the wrong direction. As a result of their anxiety, their responses were guarded to the extreme.

_Sam looks at Jack and says "Pete gave me this." Jack takes the box, opens it and looks at the ring, then looks at Sam. "People normally wear these on their fingers" Jack replies. "I haven't said yes" countered Sam followed by "And yet -- you haven't said no" from Jack. He snaps the box shut. Sam inwardly flinches at the sound and says "I told him I needed to think about it". "And?" asks Jack as he puts the ring box on the desk. "That was two weeks ago" Sam replies. Careful not to show any emotion Jack simply says "Ah!". _

_Sam decides to keep going trying to get a reaction from Jack " Y'know, all these years I've been concentrating on work -- I just assumed that one day I would ... " "Have a life?" jack interrupts. " Yeah!". "Yeah". Sam decides that since she's gone this far she might as well continue looking for Jack to latch upon any excuse to show her that he still has feelings for her "And now it comes down to it, I don't know. I mean, every time we go through the Gate, we risk not coming back. Is it fair to put somebody else through that?" But Jack was not seeing these as hints to him – he was simply seeing them as her expressing her concerns to her CO as that was all he was to her now, wasn't it? _

_She was talking to him about getting engaged to another man. No one would do that it they had feelings for that person. So he buried his own feelings using his best special ops tactics and continued as her CO and "friend". "Pete is a cop -- I think he could handle it." She tries to push back again "What about kids?". He looks straight at her " What about 'em?". "Do I take maternity leave and then come back? What, do I drop the baby off at daycare on my way to some unexplored planet on the edge of the Crab Nebula? ". Jack refused to bite. "Carter, there are people on this base who have families." Sam thinks for a moment, then looks directly into Jack's eyes. His are still and dead. Hers are filled with pleading emotion. "What about you? If things had been different ... " Jack looks at her for a moment and simply replies "I wouldn't be here"._

The hurt stabbed at Sam, piercing her heart, believing that Jack had basically encouraged the marriage to another man. To her his parting words that day were the final confirmation of his feelings towards her – he no longer "cared about her more than he should". No matter what had been said in the past, the feelings that had been left in the room had obviously died there and as the devastating sadness took over, a piece of her died too. She had rushed off to Pete as soon as she got off base that night and accepted his proposal with an enthusiasm she didn't feel. Pete didn't notice that her smile didn't reach her eyes and he slipped his diamond ring on her finger. He spent the rest of the evening planning their engagement party and wouldn't take Sam's pleas that it be a quiet family affair.

A/N Thanks to Callie Sullivan for her transcipt on Gateworld.


	2. Chapter 2

The Song Series – "Cry"

Spoilers Season 8 Affinity – Missing Scene

Disclaimer – It's not mine we all know that but this story is mine.

A/N – Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter and gave me encouragement. This is just a short Chapter while I type up the next one.

I know that it is a pain sometimes to review but it truly helps me know if I'm moving in the right direction as I am so new to this game. So please if you have a minute clip and submit!

Jack sat looking at the invitation to a party to which half of the SGC, and the Denver and Colorado Springs Police Department, were invited. It was now almost 7:30pm and no aliens were scheduled to stop by no matter how much he wished for it. Even Jacob Carter had been unable to attend being kept away on a "secret Tokra mission". Jack knew that Pete had been asked to postpone the celebration until Jacob returned but he had just smiled at Sam and then refused. Why change it when they didn't know when her father would return, he argued. He wanted the world to know that she was his as soon as possible and he was sure that her father would understand. Sam was simply glad that there was a man out there who loved her, who wanted her, so she accepted his argument and booked O'Malley's for the evening.

Jack had heard about the incident from Daniel and it was with these thoughts running around in his head that he sat staring at his computer that evening. He was looking at digital photos that Cassie had e-mailed to him taken at a barbeque at Jack's house. It was the last time that Jacob had been home, before Carter got engaged to Pete. He closely examined one of the photos of Carter with her Dad. Jacob was smiling down at her with a look of total pride while she looked adoringly up at him. She could have been a five year old the way she looked at him with such unconditional love. Jack sighed. He was desperately trying to ignore the photo next to it on the screen but his eyes were drawn to it knowing what he would see. It was him and Carter alone. Obviously Cassie had taken it when neither knew she was watching. It was an unguarded moment and no-one who had seen the picture could have been unaware of their feelings for each other. Luckily only a handful of close friends had seen it and Jack had spoken to Cassie to ensure it stayed that way. 'How could I have been so wrong?' thought Jack.

He looked at his watch and noted that it was now after 8 o'clock. The party would have started by now. They had no reason to wait for him he thought with a self-pitying laugh. His eyes drifted back to the screen and once again looked at the picture of Carter and Jacob. He couldn't believe that she wouldn't have her own father at her engagement party. She wouldn't have her C.O. either. A man who he knew she had long time thought of as one of her best friends on earth. Someone who had always been there for her no matter what. An overwhelming sense of sadness swept over Jack and he quickly stood, rushing towards his quarters.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Thanks once again to all who have reviewed. The feedback is great. To The Abbott of Beregost – this is a longer chapter just for you and to Kate, yes it's "Cry" by Faith Hill. And to everyone who has told me that this is sad, yes you're right. The whole situation really is sad.

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It was close to 9 o'clock when Sam once again checked her watch and looked around the bar. Daniel could easily see she was looking for someone although he could tell that she was trying to be as surreptitious as possible. He could guess who it was that she was trying to find and he once again cursed Jack for his selfishness. He couldn't believe that Jack would put his feelings before Sam's. He was supposed to be her friend. Daniel looked at the group Sam was talking to, a group of cops from Denver he presumed as he didn't recognize any of them. She was smiling at them although he could see it was an act. He saw her glance towards the door and as if a switch had been flipped, her eyes lit up. Daniel turned to see where she was looking and there stood Jack, just inside the door, staring at Sam.

He was out of uniform dressed simply in jeans and a dark sweater that set off his deep brown eyes and made him look younger than a General should. He was obviously taking in Sam's appearance. She looked stunning in a little black dress that fell just above the knee. It had a demur neckline that showed just enough to give any man food for thought. Jack noted for the millionth time what a truly beautiful woman Sam was. He sighed remembering that she was once and for all off limits to him. Daniel noticed Jack's sigh and the sadness on his face and went to him with a beer in his hand.

Over the next twenty minutes Jack acted as the perfect C.O. doing the rounds of the room, careful to say hello to all of the SGC personnel in attendance. He did a great job of avoiding Sam and Pete until he literally bumped into then while walking backwards trying to escape from Dr. Felger. Jack turned and unwittingly found himself staring into Sam's eyes. They locked and the intensity of what Sam saw made her catch her breath. She quickly looked away as Pete reached out and shook Jack's hand with a smug grin. Jack in return congratulated the smaller man on his engagement. Sam noticed that he didn't congratulate her. The thought occurred to her once again that he no longer cared about her or her happiness and she turned away so that he couldn't see the look of hurt on her face. Pete and Jack made small talk for a few more minutes, a feat in itself for Jack considering his fundamental dislike of the man. Congratulating Pete once again, Jack turned and walked purposefully towards the bar.

He ordered a whiskey with a beer chaser from Joe, the barman whom he had known for many years. Joe knew Jack well and would have been an idiot not to know his feelings for Sam. He had been appalled to discover that his boss had agreed to hold the party there but he was told that they weren't going to turn down a big money earner simply because it might hurt one regular's feelings. Joe put Jack's order on the bar with an encouraging smile and Jack grinned sheepishly back knowing the man meant well. It wasn't his fault that Sam had chosen to marry someone else. As Jack turned away from the bar, with his whiskey in his hand, he noticed that people had started to gather in pairs on the dance floor.

The music was slow and he searched the floor trying to convince himself that he wasn't looking for anyone in particular. As it happened he found Daniel dancing close to a very pretty nurse with titian hair. They were laughing together and the petite woman was smiling like a teenager up at the archaeologist. She reminded Jack a little of Janet and in that moment he wished that the "Napoleonic power mongerer" was still with them. He was sure that she would have talked Sam out of marrying Pete, persuading her that he wasn't the man for her. 'Who the hell does a background check on his own girlfriend?' Jack thought. He took another slug of the liquor and tried to push the thoughts away reminding himself that Sam had made her choice and she had chosen Pete. She definitely had not chosen him.

On the dance floor he noted many SGC couples, both military and civilian, and he envied them. He envied the fact that they were able to show their affection in public and no one cared. When he looked closer he saw that some of the couples who were dancing were in each others direct chain of command such as Hailey dancing with her C.O., Major Higgins, but instead of worrying about the frat regs, he envied them. Envied that they were comfortable enough to dance together in front of half of the SGC as C.O. and subordinate. He and Carter had never managed to find that comfortable balance, maybe because they thought that if they did, they would get so comfortable that they would cross the line. He watched as Hailey looked up at Higgins and laughed. There was no passion there, just a friendship born from fighting beside each other day after day.

That was the difference. Up until recently if Carter and he had danced together and looked up at each other, a blind man would have seen the unspoken words of love and devotion.

But not anymore!


	4. Chapter 4

**The Song Series - "Cry"**

Season 8 - Missing Scene - Affinity

Disclaimer - Yes they really aren't mine but this story is. Also I do not own any rights to the Faith Hill Song "Cry" but I love it anyway! And in case you don't know this song you can listen to a snippet at this site http/ Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story up to now. If you have the 30 secs it takes, please review this when you are done so I can figure out if I should post anything more in the future.

PS There is an authors note at the end too - But without further ado, here is the last chapter.

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Jack finished his whiskey, turned back to the bar, grabbed his beer and returned to his task of watching the crowd. He could see Pete pulling Carter away from Daniel and T'ealc and onto the dance floor. The music was slow and Pete pulled her close to him, possessing her. Jack's eyes grew black watching the scene and all SGC personnel seemed to notice the change and began to watch waiting to see what "the General" would do next. Daniel had seen the look in Jack's eyes many times before and began to move through the crowded bar towards him.

Jack took another slug of his beer as the first bars of a new song began and the sultry country tones of a female voice that Jack couldn't place began.

_If I had just one tear rollin' down your cheek_

_Maybe I could cope_

_Maybe I'd get some sleep_

_If I had just one moment at your expense_

_Maybe all my misery would be well spent_

The words washed over Jack as he remembered the first time he had met Sam. She had walked into that initial briefing all those years ago, head held high, and she looked like an angel to him. After all he had been through, she was a breath of fresh air walking into his life, a life he instantly knew would be better for her being in it. And he learned quickly that not only was she beautiful but so smart and she had easily stolen his heart.

He thought about how he never held out any hope of her returning his feelings until they both caught that alien virus and she jumped him in the locker room. Her lips felt like fire on his and he was so tempted. But that would have been worse than taking advantage of a drunk woman and he was way too honorable for that.

But he had received his first taste of her and, like the worst drug, he was addicted to her. Then to find out that they had been both married and engaged in alternate realities convinced him that the concept of Carter and O'Neill together was nor purely a figment of his imagination. It was fate! Or so he had thought.

_Could you cry a little_

_Lie just a little_

_Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain_

_I gave, now I'm wanting something in return_

_So cry just a little for me _

And the stolen glances and 'accidental' touches continued and the flirting was fun and often blatant in front of their friends and Jack truly thought that a future together was possible. They were like a pair of 'star-crossed lovers', secretly pursuing their version of a relationship, at their own pace, within the regs. Until that fateful day when the Z'atarc testing forced their feelings into the open. Into the blinding light of day where it was not ready to thrive. So he agreed when she asked for their feelings to be left locked in that room. Never to be spoken of again. But they continued to bear the intense feelings they held for one another and time and time again, they wordlessly assured each other that they would wait for the other. Knowing it was meant to be.

_If your love could be caged_

_Honey I would hold the key_

_And conceal it underneath_

_The pile of lies you've handed me_

_And you'd hunt those lies_

_They'd be all you'd ever find_

_That'd be all you'd have to know_

_For me to be fine_

But all of the hugs and softly spoken words were a lie.

While Sam was missing on Prometheus, Jack remembered feeling like he had a part of him ripped away. He was so scared that he would never see her again and couldn't bear the thought of a life without her. He didn't sleep during those four days, cursing himself over and over that he wasn't smart enough to figure out how to bring her home like she had him so many times before. And during those dark nights, Jack prayed to a God he had thought he no longer believed in, with tears streaming down his face. Bargained with him that if He bought Sam home safe to him, he would lay his heart open to her and make things change for them.

And she did make it home and while Jack was working up the courage to tell her of his love for her, she found Pete. Threw herself into a relationship with him as if her life depended upon it and Jack waited patiently to get it out of her system. He rationalized it as some sort of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

_And you'd cry a little_

_And die just a little_

_And maybe I would feel just a little less pain _

_I gave, now I'm wanting something in return _

_So cry just a little for me_

But he had been wrong. Sam had abandoned him – deserted their love and had callously and openly ripped his heart out without a care in the world for him.

_Give it up baby_

_I hear your doin' fine_

_Nothings gonna' save me _

_Til I see it in your eyes _

_Some kind of heartache honey_

_Give it a try_

_I don't want pity _

_I just want what is mine_

Jack's anger left him as he saw Sam look up into the eyes of the man she would marry and smile. Jack's eyes became moist knowing that she never would be his.

_Would you cry a little_

_Lie just a little_

_Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain_

_I gave, now I'm wanting something in return_

_So cry just a little for me _

In three and a half minutes, Jack's life with Sam had flashed before his eyes. He had seen all that he had held to be true – the friendship, the passion, the love – and had realized it had all become a lie. The unspoken promise of a life together was broken.

And in that moment all of his dreams for the future died.

Something changed within him once again and the tears dried up and his eyes turned black. He took one final slug of his beer and turned and walked towards the exit.

_Cry just a little for me_

_Could you cry a little for me _

Sam had seen the look of loathing and hardened determination settle on Jack's face and had watched him turn to leave. She longed to cry out to him, to tell him to stay, that it was him that she wanted – only him that she loved. But dancing in her fiancé's arms, her courage failed her.

And as the final refrain played, a single tear rolled down her cheek and fell to the floor.

_**The End.**_

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A/N - For all of those who think that this ending is a little sad, you're right it is sad. But so has the Sam and Jack relationship been for so many years - hopefully that will improve in Season 9 :-) 


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